MacRumors

Apple today shared a new ad that focuses on the iPhone 12's durability, specifically highlighting the Ceramic Shield display, which is meant to be tougher than standard smartphone glass.

In the ad, a woman's iPhone 12 slips out of her hand and she fumbles with it for several seconds before it flies out of her grip and lands on the ground, coming away unscathed.

"iPhone 12 with Ceramic Shield. Tougher than any smartphone glass. Relax, it's the iPhone," reads the video's caption.

All of the iPhone 12 models feature Ceramic Shield OLED displays, which Apple says offers four times better drop protection than was available with prior iPhone models.

The Ceramic Shield material, which comes from Corning, is made by infusing nano-ceramic crystals into glass to improve durability. Though the Ceramic Shield seems to be better able to withstand drops than prior iPhone display technology, it is still prone to scratching.

In an interview with Yahoo Finance today, Intel's newly appointed CEO Pat Gelsinger said that the ongoing competition between his company and Apple is "fun," while also saying he hopes to make amends with the Cupertino tech giant.

Over the next two years, Apple will transition its Mac lineup away from Intel processors to its own Apple silicon chips. Apple is already well underway on the transition, having released three Mac computers based on its M1 SoC. Intel in response launched a marketing campaign last week to label Macs and ‌M1‌ as inferior to Intel processors.

Despite the barrage of attacks, Gelsinger has indicated that he hopes to have Apple as a future customer. In his interview with Yahoo Finance, Gelsinger said that Apple relies too heavily on its current supplier, TSMC, for manufacturing Apple silicon and that Intel wants to offer its own services instead.

Apple is a customer, and I hope to make them a big foundry customer because today they're wholly dependent on Taiwan Semiconductor. We want to present great options for them to leverage our foundry services, as well, just like we're working with Qualcomm and Microsoft to leverage our foundry. We're going to be delivering great technology, some things that can't be done anywhere else in the world.

Gelsinger attributed the recent tense competition with Apple to the fact that there's still room for innovation in the industry and the bonus that PC demand is the highest it's been in over a decade. Gelsinger went on to say there's "competitive fun going on with Apple and the Mac ecosystem."

So obviously, you've seen some of the competitive energies [in chipmaking] resume because there's a lot of great innovation to be done, and we haven't seen PC demand at this level for a decade and a half. The world needs more of that, and there is competitive fun going on with Apple and the Mac ecosystem.

As part of its anti-Apple silicon marketing campaign, Intel recently hired former "I'm a Mac" actor Justin Long to star in a series of ads comparing ‌M1‌ Macs to laptops powered by Intel processors. Additionally, Intel has turned to Twitter for the campaign and has created its own website to compare ‌M1‌ Macs against PCs.

Starting on Friday, March 26, Disney plans to raise the price of its subscription streaming service, Disney+. Currently priced at $6.99 per month in the U.S., the cost will be going up by $1 to $7.99 per month.

Those who want to lock in the $6.99 per month price point should sign up for a subscription before March 26. The yearly subscription price is also going up, increasing from $69.99 to $79.99.

The Disney+ bundle, which includes Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ will be increasing in price from $12.99 to $13.99 per month for the ad-supported version or $18.99 to $19.99 per month for the ad-free version.

Disney+ first announced the price increase back in December, and it comes following many successful TV show releases like "The Mandalorian," "WandaVision," and "Falcon and the Winter Soldier," along with movies like "Soul."

As of March, Disney+ has surpassed 100 million subscribers.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Disney+. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

A job application filled out by former Apple CEO Steve Jobs in 1973 has sold for a whopping $222,400 at auction in London (via iMore).

The rare employment questionnaire went up for sale on February 24 with the auction lasting one month. Jobs filled out the application in hopes of landing a job after dropping out of Reed College, which he attended for around six months. A year later in 1974, Jobs joined Atari as a technician, where he later joined forces with Steve Wozniak to create Apple in 1976.

In the document, which previously sold for $175,000 three years ago, Jobs highlighted "English lit" as his major while also listing "electronics tech" and "design engineer" as special abilities and interests. Jobs also listed his skills in computers and calculators.

The listing for the document says it is in "very good condition," with "light staining and old clear tape to the top edge." To prove it's the real deal written by Steve Jobs himself, it comes with letters and certificates of authenticity.

Sharing Shortcuts via iCloud appears to be severely affected by an issue that is stopping older links from working.

All older ‌iCloud‌ links for sharing Shortcuts appear to no longer be functional, rendering it impossible to add shared Shortcuts from links that were created a while ago. It is not yet clear exactly when the cut-off date for created Shortcuts links is, but broadly, links created within the past week seem to be unaffected and continue to work correctly. Apple's own in-app gallery for downloading Shortcuts is also still working as expected.

When attempting to add a Shortcut from an affected ‌iCloud‌ link, users are now presented with an error message in the Shortcuts app that reads "Shortcut Not Found: The shortcut link may be invalid, or it may have been deleted." The change has since been flagged by users on Reddit and Twitter.

It is as yet unclear if the error is an intentional change on Apple's part, as it could have added an expiry period to the ‌iCloud‌ links to prevent them from working after a certain amount of time, or if it is simply a server-side error that has invalidated all links created prior to an internal change.

Either way, the fact that the majority of links to Shortcuts are now defunct is highly problematic for sites such as MacStories or the subreddit r/shortcuts, which are heavily reliant on ‌iCloud‌ links for sharing previously-created Shortcuts.

Update: Apple has now provided a statement to Federico Viticci of MacStories, explaining that it is aware of the problem and is working to restore the previously shared Shortcuts:

There are also now early indications that the problematic ‌iCloud‌ links to Shortcuts have started to be restored.

Apple recently updated its security guidelines for its manufacturing partners, implementing tougher measures at factories to prevent leaks, according to an internal document obtained by The Information's Wayne Ma.

Among the changes mentioned in the report:

• Apple's manufacturing partners can no longer collect biometric data such as fingerprints or facial scans of Apple employees who visit their facilities. However, the new rule does not apply to factory workers, leading to accusations of a double standard.
• Apple's manufacturing partners must conduct criminal background checks on all assembly line workers who work on unreleased Apple products, rather than only certain employees, and those with criminal records are to be denied entry to areas where unreleased Apple products are being developed or assembled.
• Apple is upgrading its computer system installed at some factories to determine how long parts should remain at one production station before moving to another. If a sensitive component in transit takes an unusually long time to arrive at its destination, security alarms are to be triggered.
• Factory guards at checkpoints must keep detailed logs of the movement of workers carrying sensitive parts from one area to another.
• Factory visitors are now required to present a government-issued ID.
• Factory security cameras are now required to capture all four sides of transport vehicles when they are parked at the facilities.
• Video recordings that show the destruction of prototypes and defective parts are now required to be retained for at least 180 days.

The Information's paywalled report goes into more detail about the changes, which appear to have been implemented earlier this year.

Mozilla has released Firefox 87 for Macs, Windows, and Linux machines, introducing a new intelligent tracker blocking mechanism called SmartBlock.

Since 2015, Firefox has included a built-in Content Blocking feature that automatically blocks third-party scripts, images, and other content from being loaded from cross-site tracking companies in Private Browsing windows and Strict Tracking Protection Mode.

Mozilla recognizes that the feature sometimes blocks legitimate elements of websites which can cause them to malfunction. SmartBlock aims to provide a solution to this problem without compromising user privacy. From the company's blog:

In building these extra-strong privacy protections in Private Browsing windows and Strict Mode, we have been confronted with a fundamental problem: introducing a policy that outright blocks trackers on the web inevitably risks blocking components that are essential for some websites to function properly. This can result in images not appearing, features not working, poor performance, or even the entire page not loading at all.

To reduce this breakage, Firefox 87 is now introducing a new privacy feature we are calling SmartBlock. SmartBlock intelligently fixes up web pages that are broken by our tracking protections, without compromising user privacy.

Mozilla says SmartBlock works by providing local stand-ins for blocked third-party tracking scripts that behave "just enough" like the original ones to make sure that the website works properly.

The stand-ins come built-in to Firefox, so no third-party content from the trackers is loaded by the browser, meaning they can't track users this way. According to the developers, SmartBlock will silently stand in for several common scripts classified as trackers on the Disconnect Tracking Protection List, and should provide a noticeable performance improvement while browsing.

The previous version of the browser introduced Total Cookie Protection, which is designed to stop cookies from tracking users across the web. Firefox 87, the latest update, is available now from the Mozilla website.

On March 24, 2001, a Saturday, Apple began allowing customers to purchase Mac OS X, the successor to the classic Mac OS. The first version of Mac OS X, "Cheetah," was famous for its "Aqua" interface with a water bubble-style design for everything from windows to buttons.

Today, March 24, 2021, marks 20 years since Mac OS X went on sale, and Apple's Mac software has gone through many changes over the course of the last two decades, but it was with Mac OS X that Apple took one of the first steps toward transforming from a company on the brink of failure into one of the world's most successful companies. Mac OS X preceded the launch of the first iPod and heralded what was in store under Jobs' leadership.

Mac OS X was introduced at the January 2000 Apple keynote at the Macworld Expo. Steve Jobs at the time said that Mac OS X would "delight consumers with its simplicity and amaze professionals with its power." He also said it was the "most important software" from Apple since the original 1984 Macintosh operating system.

The Aqua interface introduced the now well-known Dock for easy access to applications and documents, plus it included Apple's revamped Finder for file management. And, of course, Aqua was most well-known for its iconic look, which included translucent scroll bars and buttons.

Other features included advanced power management to let iBooks and PowerBooks wake from sleep instantly, dynamic memory management, and Apple's Quartz 2D graphics engine for "stunning graphics" and broader font support. It came with QuickTime 5, iMovie 2, iTunes, and AppleWorks (Apple's productivity software at the time).

The new software, which was built on Apple's "Darwin" operating system core, had support for many existing Mac OS apps, but developers were required to "tune-up" their apps, so Apple ultimately rolled it out over a 12 month beta period before putting it up for sale.

At launch, Mac OS X was priced at $129, and its launch was at a time when Apple was still charging Mac users for upgrades. Mac updates got less expensive over the years, and Apple ultimately stopped charging for them in 2013.

The debut of Mac OS X was far from perfect, and it had some major stability issues that Apple needed to work out. Apple followed it up with Mac OS X 10.1 "Puma" just six months later, and since then, has continued iterating on that original 2001 release.

Mac OS X became OS X in 2012 with the release of Mountain Lion, an operating system that introduced a more minimal design that transitioned away from the skeuomorphic designs Apple had used under the leadership of Scott Forstall. OS X Mountain Lion accompanied iOS 7, which is known to be one of the biggest design overhauls to the iPhone operating system.

Apple introduced another major name overhaul in 2013 with the launch of OS X Mavericks, the first version of Mac OS X that wasn't named after a big cat. Apple used big cats from Mac OS X 10.0 (Cheetah) to 10.8 (Mountain Lion).

The last significant change came in 2016 when Apple dropped the X and introduced macOS 10.12 Sierra, with the macOS name meant to better match with iOS. We've had several versions of macOS, culminating in the current release version of the software, macOS Big Sur.

macOS Big Sur brought Apple's biggest design update to macOS since the days of Mac OS X, revamping everything from the curvature of window corners to colors and dock icon designs. Apple designed it to feel fresh and familiar at the same time, including less obtrusive menu bars, a more translucent dock, a uniform squircle shape for app icons, and entirely revamped system sounds.

The update also revamped the Notification Center to add quick access Control Center toggles, plus it has important updates to Safari, Messages, Photos, Maps, and more, with details available in our roundup. Later this year, we're expecting to see macOS 12, and while it likely won't be the design overhaul that Big Sur was, Apple likely has useful new features in store.

Apple is rumored to be working on new versions of the iMac desktop computer, and a launch could be coming in the near future, based on new signs found in the macOS Big Sur 11.3 beta that was released this morning.

According to 9to5Mac, there are references to two new ‌iMac‌ models in macOS Big Sur 11.3 beta 5, identified as "iMac21,1" and "iMac21,2." The new Macs use the code names J456 and J457, which were first revealed earlier this year by Bloomberg.

We don't yet know when Apple will refresh the ‌iMac‌ lineup, but there are new versions of the 21.5 and 27-inch ‌iMac‌ models in the works. Rumors suggest the new iMacs will feature a design similar to the Pro Display XDR with slimmed down bezels and no metal chin.

Rather than a curved rear design, the new ‌iMac‌ models will feature a flat back, and at least one of the new models will measure in at 23 to 24 inches. Apple silicon chips will be included, and some dubious rumors have pointed toward color options that match the iPad Air colors.

Apple recently discontinued the iMac Pro, which was a high-end ‌iMac‌ option that was first released in 2017. With signs of the new iMacs in the current Big Sur beta and the ‌iMac‌ Pro discontinued and out of stock, we could see the refreshed ‌iMac‌ models in the not too distant future.

Apple in November started releasing Macs with Apple-designed M1 chips, and the Apple silicon technology will eventually replace all the Intel chips that Apple has used in its Mac lineup for years.

Intel appears to be having a difficult time with Apple's transition. Last week, the company launched an anti-M1 Mac ad campaign starring Justin Long, and now, Intel is pinning its hopes on manufacturing Apple silicon chips for Apple in the future.

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger today shared some details on Intel's future plans, which includes the founding of a separate "Intel Foundry Services" business and two new chip factories that are being built in Arizona. Going forward, Intel wants to become a major provider of foundry capacity in the United States and Europe, manufacturing chips for other companies.

When discussing Intel's new plans, Gelsinger said that Intel plans to pursue Apple as a potential customer, which would see Intel producing Apple silicon chips for use in Apple devices if Apple does indeed decide to use Intel's services.

Right now, Apple relies on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to produce all of the A-series and Apple silicon chips used in the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and other devices. TSMC is Apple's sole supplier, so there's a chance that Apple and Intel could reach a deal that would allow Apple to diversify its supply chain.

IFS will be differentiated from other foundry offerings with a combination of leading-edge process technology and packaging, committed capacity in the U.S. and Europe, and a world-class IP portfolio for customers, including x86 cores as well as ARM and RISC-V ecosystem IPs.

If Intel wants to court Apple for future chip orders, the anti-Apple ads the company is running now may be unwise. Intel hired former "I'm a Mac" actor Justin Long to create a series of ads that compare the ‌M1‌ Macs with Intel PCs in a way that positions Intel PCs as superior machines.

Intel's ads promote the flexibility of PC laptops and claim that no one uses Macs for gaming. The ads also make fun of the limited ports on Apple's Macs and call them out for a lack of touchscreens. Intel has been highlighting its anti-M1 content on Twitter and has even made a heavily biased website that pits PCs against ‌M1‌ Macs.

Apple is rumored to have a new iPad Pro in the works that will feature an upgraded "A14X" chip, and signs of that upcoming chip have been found in the fifth iOS 14.5 beta that was released this morning.

According to 9to5Mac, the beta mentions a GPU from a chip referred to as "13G," which does not correspond to the chips used by currently available iOS devices.

Previous naming schemes found in iOS suggest the 13G reference is the A14X, a variant of the A14 Bionic chip used in iOS devices. MacRumors contributor Steve Moser found direct mentions of the A14X GPU in the beta as well, and there are new code names that are likely for the unreleased iPads: J517, J518, J522, and J523.

9to5Mac says that the A14X is based on the T8103, the code name for the M1 chip used in the Apple silicon Macs. Bloomberg earlier this month said that the A14X chip would be "on par" with the ‌M1‌ in terms of speed.

Apple is expected to release new iPad Pro models as soon as April. Rumors suggest the updated tablets could feature Thunderbolt connectivity, improved camera technology, fewer speaker holes, and a mini-LED display for the 12.9-inch model.

Apple today released the fifth beta of tvOS 14.5, and there are some small but notable changes in the update found by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser. Apple is removing mentions of the "Siri Remote" and replacing them with "Apple TV Remote" across the operating system.

The ‌Siri‌ Remote has always been the ‌Apple TV‌ Remote in countries where ‌Siri‌ functionality is not available on the ‌Apple TV‌, but now Apple is using the ‌Apple TV‌ Remote wording in countries where the remote was previously referred to as the ‌Siri‌ Remote.

This could be just a general cleanup of the language because there's no real need to refer to it as the ‌Siri‌ Remote anymore, but it does suggest that the next-generation ‌Apple TV‌ remote will not be called the ‌Siri‌ Remote and will have a simpler name.

Apple is rumored to be working on a new version of the ‌Apple TV‌ that's set to come out this year, and it will be accompanied by a refreshed remote control with Find My capabilities. Little else is known about the remote at this time.

tvOS 14.5 also renames the "Home Button" under the "Remotes and Devices" section to "TV Button," but the functionality is ultimately the same and can be set to go to the ‌Apple TV‌ app or the Home Screen. This too could be a tweak made for a future remote.

Earlier betas have introduced support for the latest PlayStation and Xbox controllers, plus frame rate options have been tweaked with Apple now offering 29.97Hz and 59.94Hz refresh rates instead of 30Hz/60Hz.

There's also an optional "Type to ‌Siri‌" Accessibility feature that can be enabled, which mirrors the Type to ‌Siri‌ feature on iOS devices, a new option for choosing "Other Wireless Speakers" as the Default Audio Output, and tweaks to the Podcasts app to bring it in line with the changes introduced in iOS 14.5.

Apple today updated its suite of iWork apps designed for iOS and macOS devices to version 11, introducing a number of new features and tweaks to improve their functionality.

On iOS, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote now feature onscreen keypads for entering exact values for text size, spacing, table size, and more, plus there's a feature for adding or removing objects or table cells from a selection by tapping or dragging across them.

There's an option to always open presentations, documents, and spreadsheets in edit mode in each app, and phone number links can be added to table cells, text objects, and shapes. Apple has also added precise editing controls in the Arrange Inspector for adjusting the look and placement of objects,

On macOS, Numbers, Pages, and Keynote feature an updated media browser with enhanced search options and new content categories like Recents, Portraits, and Live Photos, plus there's an option to add phone number links to table cells, objects, and shapes, and an AppleScript function for changing a document password or opening a password-protected document.

Keynote also includes an option to view presenter notes, current slide, and next slide in a separate window when presenting, and there are thumbnails in the build order window to make it easier to edit complex sequences.

The new updates are available from the iOS App Store and macOS ‌App Store‌ as of this morning.

• Pages for iOS [Direct Link]
• Keynote for iOS [Direct Link]
• Numbers for iOS [Direct Link]
• Pages for macOS [Direct Link]
• Keynote for macOS [Direct Link]
• Numbers for macOS [Direct Link]

Apple's iWork apps are free downloads for everyone.

Apple today seeded the fifth beta of an upcoming macOS Big Sur 11.3 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta coming one week after the launch of the fourth beta and more than a month after the release of macOS Big Sur 11.2, a bug fix update.

Developers can download the ‌‌macOS Big Sur‌‌ 11.3 beta using the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after installing the proper profile from the Apple Developer Center.

macOS Big Sur 11.3 introduces more customization options for Safari, adding a way to rearrange the different sections on the Start Page like Favorites, Reading List, Siri Suggestions, Privacy Report, and more. Developers also have access to a new integration to develop features for the Start Page.

The update also includes optimizations for using iOS apps on M1 Macs. When running iPhone and iPad apps on ‌M1‌ Macs, there's a Touch Alternatives preference pane that allows users to set keyboard commands for touch input alternatives, plus iPadOS apps launch with a larger window if the Mac's display allows it. Touch Alternatives can be enabled for iPhone or ‌iPad‌ apps by clicking on the app's name in the menu bar and then selecting the Preferences option. Touch Alternatives let you customize taps, swipes, and drags.

Apple has also added a "Controller Emulation" feature that can be enabled for iPhone and ‌iPad‌ apps to map game controller buttons to keyboard keys and mouse buttons. Controller Emulation will allow ‌iPhone‌ and ‌‌iPad‌‌ games that have controller support built in to be accurately controlled with a keyboard and/or mouse when those games are played on an ‌‌M1‌‌ Mac.

In the Reminders app, reminder lists can be sorted by Due Date, Creation Date, Priority, or Title, and there is an option to print lists by going to File > Print. Reminders can also be moved manually across lists with drag and drop, something that wasn't possible before.

Apple is adding a new "Made For You" library shortcut in Apple Music for finding personal mixes and Replay playlists, and the Listen Now section has been updated with support for highlighting live events.

The ‌Apple Music‌ app also features a new autoplay option that allows the streaming service to continue to play music after a playlist or music queue ends. ‌Apple Music‌ sources music similar to what's in a person's ‌Apple Music‌ library, similar to the autoplay feature added in iOS 14.

With this feature enabled, ‌Apple Music‌ audio will not end even after a playlist or album is over. To check that it's on, play a playlist or album and then click on the three dot/line menu button in the upper right hand corner. From there, make sure the infinity symbol is toggled on.

In the Apple News app, there's a redesigned ‌Apple News‌+ tab with a dedicated "For You" section and a new Browse tab that makes it easier to browse through available content. The new For You section is designed to help ‌Apple News‌+ users find favorite magazines and newspapers much faster, plus it adds new tools for managing downloaded issues.

macOS Big Sur 11.3 also adds support for the latest PlayStation 5 DualSense and Xbox Series X/S controllers for use with macOS games.

There's also an updated "Support" interface when accessing "About This Mac." The new design includes details on your warranty and it allows for starting a repair right from the Mac interface.

The tab works similarly to the AppleCare coverage menu in the iOS Settings app, which lets users request repairs, buy an ‌AppleCare‌ plan, and check their coverage.

For HomePod users, macOS Big Sur 11.3 brings support for ‌HomePod‌ Stereo pairs, allowing a set of paired HomePods to be set as the default sound output option, with the two HomePods showing up as a single selectable speaker rather than separate as in prior versions of macOS.

Code in macOS Big Sur 11.3 suggests that the Optimized Battery Charging feature will now make sure the Mac's battery is fully charged before a scheduled calendar event. The Mac will charge to 100 percent three hours before a calendar event's start time.

Optimized Battery Charging is designed to preserve the lifespan of the Mac's battery by limiting the amount of time that a Mac sits at 100 percent battery.

In Safari, there's support for WebM video playback, allowing users to play WebM videos using Apple's browser. WebM is a niche video format designed to be a royalty-free alternative to the H.264 codec used in the MP4 format. WebM allows video files to remain small without sacrificing quality and can be played with little processing power, making it ideal for webpages and browsers.

Code in macOS Big Sur 11.3 suggests that Rosetta could be removed from some ‌M1‌ Macs in some select regions after the software is released. There's a mention that "Rosetta is no longer available in this region. Applications requiring Rosetta will no longer run," but no additional information is available at this time.

There are also appear to be new assets that suggest a feature for mapping game controller buttons to keyboard layouts, and there's a Game Center toggle to enable or disable connections with friends, which lets games set you up with your friends or prevents apps from accessing that info.

More on macOS Big Sur can be found in our macOS Big Sur roundup. The software is expected to see a release this spring.

Apple today seeded the fifth betas of upcoming iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta updates coming one week after Apple released the fourth iOS and iPadOS 14.5 betas.

iOS and iPadOS 14.5 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper profile has been installed on an iPhone or iPad.

iOS 14.5 is the biggest update to iOS 14 to date, introducing several significant new features. First and foremost, Apple is making it easier to unlock an iPhone when you're wearing a face mask with a new "Unlock with Apple Watch" feature.

This opt-in option lets you use an unlocked and authenticated Apple Watch as a secondary authentication method to unlock an iPhone alongside Face ID. With this feature, you no longer have to enter a passcode or remove your mask to unlock your iPhone. Both an iPhone running iOS 14.5 and an Apple Watch are required to use this, and the Apple Watch cannot authenticate Apple Pay purchases, App Store purchases, or unlock third-party apps that use ‌Face ID‌.

The update also brings worldwide support for 5G in Dual-SIM mode on iPhone 12 models, so if you use multiple lines, both can now connect at 5G speeds. Prior to now, Dual-SIM mode was limited to LTE networks.

With watchOS 7.4, iOS and iPadOS 14.5 include AirPlay 2 support for Apple Fitness+, so Apple Fitness+ subscribers can start a workout on an iPhone or iPAd and then AirPlay it to a compatible smart TV or set-top box. ‌AirPlay‌ 2 supports audio and video, but it does not display on-screen workout metrics.

PlayStation 5 DualSense and Xbox Series X controllers are supported on the iPhone and the ‌iPad‌ with iOS 14.5, and code suggests that Apple is going to add joint account support for the Apple Card in the near future.

iOS 14.5 includes a Waze-like crowdsourcing feature for reporting accidents, hazards, and speed checks along a route in Maps when getting directions.

There's a new "Report" button available in the Apple Maps app that lets you tap to report an accident, hazard, or speed trap at your location in the ‌Apple Maps‌ app, which is a feature that mapping app Waze offers. This is available directly on the iPhone and in CarPlay.

There are several new emoji characters in the iOS 14.5 beta, with Apple introducing heart on fire, mending heart, exhaling face, face with spiral eyes, face in clouds, along with different gender options for people with beards. There are also new couple emojis that have new skin tone mixes.

Apple removed the blood from the syringe emoji, updated the Headphone emoji to look like the AirPods Max rather than a generic set of headphones, and added a helmet to the rock climbing emoji.

In the Find My app, there's a new "Items" tab that's been added, which will work with non-Apple products like Beats headphones and Belkin's wireless earbuds that have been designed to integrate with the ‌Find My‌ app. Anything item tracking function that uses Apple's ‌Find My‌ API will be shown here right alongside your Apple devices, and the Items tab will also work with AirTags when those are finally released.

The iOS 14.5 beta addresses the green tint issue that some iPhone owners have been experiencing, with Apple confirming that the beta has "optimizations" to help with the issue.

"iOS and iPadOS 14.5 beta 2 includes an optimization to reduce the appearance of a dim glow that might appear at reduced brightness levels with black backgrounds," reads Apple's iOS 14.5 beta notes. For some users, there are improvements thanks to the optimizations, but for others, the issue still appears to exist, so Apple may have some further work to do.

iOS and iPadOS 14.5 add a new feature for choosing a preferred streaming music service to use with Siri. So if you prefer Spotify over Apple Music, for example, you can now choose Spotify as the app you want to use with ‌Siri‌ and all ‌Siri‌ song requests will go through Spotify without the need to add "on Spotify" to the end of ‌Siri‌ requests. This is a new ‌Siri‌ intelligence feature that works with music apps, podcast apps, and audiobook apps.

iOS 14.5 is the update where Apple will begin requiring developers to comply with its App Tracking Transparency rules. Going forward, developers will need to ask for and receive your permission to access your random advertising identifier and track your activity across apps and websites.

Apple has made design tweaks to the Apple News and Podcasts apps, plus there are new print and sort options in Reminders. There are new settings for emergency alerts, a horizontal loading screen on the ‌iPad‌, and tons of other smaller feature tweaks that are outlined in our full iOS 14.5 features guide, which we've been keeping updated throughout the testing process. Apple says iOS and iPadOS 14.5 will be released in the spring.